A man lured his heavily pregnant ex-fiancée to a meeting then killed her and their unborn baby, a court heard today.

Tony McLernon, 24, told Eystna Blunnie in a text message: “Got a surprise for you, hope you like it.”

But when 20-year-old Ms Blunnie met him in the early hours of June 27 last year in a Harlow street, unemployed McLernon, fuelled by alcohol and cannabis, forced her to the ground and kicked and stamped on her repeatedly, prosecutor Andrew Jackson told Chelmsford crown court.

“It was an act of brutal, sustained and wholly unprovoked violence,” Mr Jackson added. “He knew he was not only killing her but their unborn child as well.”

Residents near the scene in Howard Way, close to Ms Blunnie’s home, heard her “horrific” screams and the impact of the blows. Ms Blunnie, who was due to give birth within days, was later found with severe head and facial injuries and died in hospital. After the alleged killings, McLernon hid in nearby woodland and sent a text message to his father saying: “I’m scared.” He later spoke to his father on the phone and told him “I think I’ve killed Eystna”, the court heard.

McLernon, from Harlow, denies murdering Ms Blunnie and a charge of child destruction by wilfully causing the death of an unborn child.

A series of text messages, sent by McLernon to friends and family, were read to the court.

In other messages sent to his cousin, he claimed that Ms Blunnie had been contacting his new partner. “I’m sure I’m going prison Monday, my ex is proper trying to ruin my relationship with my new girl,” he added.

Earlier he had sent a message to Ms Blunnie telling her she “would not last or make it through her pregnancy”. The couple began a relationship in April 2011 and got engaged three months later.

In October, Ms Blunnie told McLernon she was pregnant with his child but they broke up the following year after Ms Blunnie, a catering student and barmaid, made complaints to police that he had been abusing her.